Downed Dragons
by A Fool With Hot Chocolate
Summary: AU. He might not be the luckiest high school student around, but Hiccup was convinced that there was something better out there for him.  He just didn't expect that something to be a very rare and dangerous dragon on the run from poachers.
1. Chapter 1

**Pairings:** None

**Summary:** AU. He may have lost his mother and half of his left leg, and his father might be extremely overprotective and not very understanding, and he might not have any friends because of his 'uniqueness', but Hiccup was convinced that there was something better out there for him. He just didn't expect that something to be a very rare and dangerous dragon on the run from poachers. Boy, were things going to get interesting.

* * *

_Prologue_

* * *

The phantom pain was back.

Hiccup clenched his hands into tight fists, grinding his teeth together as he fought to ride out wave after wave of agony that could not be relieved. The thing that was hurting was no longer there—it had been torn off two weeks ago in a car crash. Groaning, the auburn haired teen doubled over and clutched at the stump of his left leg, which was cut off just below his knee. The tissue there was still sensitive and the stitches had yet to come out, but the pain that shot through his over sensitized nerves was better than the throbbing ache in the part of his leg that, for obvious reasons, shouldn't even be hurting anymore. It wasn't there, therefore it should not hurt.

But by the gods it _did_ hurt, and all Hiccup could was wait it out.

In an attempt to get his mind off of the pain, Hiccup yanked his sketchpad from the table next to his bed. Drawing usually helped, since he was more focused on the pencil than he was his leg. Biting his lower lip, Hiccup flipped to a blank page and he let himself go. There was something about the sound of a pencil gliding over paper that calmed him down.

Eventually the pain ebbed away, and Hiccup took a few deep breaths before setting down his pencil. He'd sketched a dragon, a Monstrous Nightmare to be exact. They had studied it in his Dragonology class the day before the car accident, and he'd been doodling them every chance that he got. However, his favorites were actually the Night Furies. They were incredibly rare, having been hunted into near extinction by angry villagers and later, poachers. They were a protected species now, but there was some speculation as whether they even existed any longer. A Night Fury hadn't been spotted in over a decade.

Personally, Hiccup liked to think that there were plenty of Night Furies still running—er, flying around. They were incredibly intelligent, they had probably hidden themselves away in the mountains or on some island. He often had daydreams about finding a lost colony of Night Furies and being able to study them, hopefully even befriend them. Of course he would never reveal their location, that was risky business and the last thing he wanted was to endanger his already, well, endangered favorite species.

A knock on his bedroom door made him look up. His father was standing in the doorway, holding a rather large box. "Ah, sorry to disturb you, son...but Gobber has a gift for you. He couldn't deliver it himself, but...here you go." Stoic set the box down on Hiccup'd bed and the teen hopped over to it from his desk, his father's large hands guiding him to make sure he wouldn't fall. The lid of the box had a crude smiley face drawn on the front with _'To: Hiccup From: Gobber' _written in scrawling letters. The man's handwriting was as atrocious as ever.

Gobber was Stoic's closest friend. His real name was Gabriel Jorgensen, but Hiccup had been calling him Gobber since he was a baby and the name just stuck. Everyone called him Gobber at this point, and the large blond man didn't appear to mind it in the least.

Now, despite Gobber's large build and rugged features (such as his bulky arms and his massive hands), he was quite adept with all things mechanical. Sure, he did some blacksmith work on the side, but that was mostly for decorative things to be sold at the Renaissance Festival held every autumn. He had taken Hiccup on as an apprentice over the summer, and while he was no good at the heavy lifting that sword crafting required, he did have a knack for the more detailed work. Which was probably a good thing, since he had a hard enough time supporting himself on both legs, let alone one. How Gobber managed such amazing things with only one leg and one hand was beyond him.

Pondering aside, Hiccup lifted the top off of the box and pulled out what was inside. He stared at the thing in his hands, then looked up at his father. Stoic looked back at him with sad, tired eyes and weary smile. Hiccup looked down again. It was a prosthetic leg, colored the same tone as his skin and a little on the thin side. Not the best in the medical world but it was certainly something that would suit him—there was a drawing of a dragon curling around the calf, just above the joint meant to be the ankle, and it was made to look like a tattoo. Hiccup smiled thinly and traced the black design with his index finger. Yeah, Gobber was definitely the one that made this. Only he would put so much care into something like this…

With help from his father, the older man's enormous hands carefully holding the other end of the device, Hiccup strapped the prosthetic onto his stump of a leg. With so much caution that one would think he was handling an atom bomb, Stoic directed his son out of his bedroom and towards the kitchen. Hiccup was having some trouble getting used to the fake limb, the weight of it was unexpected after having gone without the extra support for so long, but he never fell. That might have been because his dad was holding him up, but Hiccup liked to think that his own determination was keeping him steady.

That thought was struck dead when Stoic attempted to let Hiccup take a step on his own, and the poor teenager fell right on his ass. The huge Scotsman panicked while Hiccup just laughed, waving off his father's attempts to help him as he awkwardly got up on his own.

"I'm fine, Dad, really. It's just going to take some work, and maybe a crutch." He tried to play off his own disappointment but Stoic was not nearly as dense as he looked.

"Don't push yourself too hard. Adjusting is going to be difficult, and I don't want you to strain yourself so soon."

"I know, Dad. I'm going to be careful. I just...need to practice." Father and son stood in silence, looking away from each other awkwardly. "So, uh...what're we having for dinner?"

"Oh. That. Uh, I'm making...fish." Again. It was the only thing that Stoic actually knew how to cook. Hiccup was much more adept in the kitchen than his father was, but after the accident...Stoic wasn't letting his son anywhere near something that could possibly hurt him. Hiccup gave him a week before they both got sick of fish and he was allowed to cook again. But for now, he would deal with it in silence.

"Okay, sounds good. I'll just, uh...practice walking around for a bit." He noticed that his father was about to protest and he raised his hands. "Don't worry, I'll stay away from tables and stuff. A few bruises from the floor isn't that bad, really." And with that he limped off, careful not to stumble as he could feel his father's eyes on his back.

He wanted to learn how to walk with this prosthetic as quickly as he could. The sooner he could walk, the sooner he could get back out into the woods.

_End Prologue_


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to all those who favorite'd this story, put it on their alerts, or reviewed (I especially appreciate the reviews). I was surprised by how well-liked it was after such a short prologue.

In a review a few questions were brought up, and I hope to have them answered in the coming chapters. The setting of the story is in Berk, of course…which for the sake of their Viking heritage is placed somewhere around Norway, Denmark, and the like. I never specify where exactly it is because I like for the readers to form their own images…since that is what I, myself, prefer to do. The surrounding area is actually not all that important, as places beyond Berk are only mentioned in passing and are all fictional (since I'm honestly too lazy to research cities or towns that would be nearby, especially with the mountainous region that I'm picturing).

As for Hiccup's short amount of time in the hospital (being just two weeks)…quite honestly it didn't occur to me how short a span of time that was. I've never had a surgery as major as having a leg amputated and when my father split his knee cap, he was only in the hospital for a few days before they released him (surgery did not take so long, fortunately). He had weeks of physical therapy afterwards but they didn't keep him in the hospital. But I think I figured out a way for things to work out, and I hope that they make sense to you. This chapter is mostly background information about Berk, Stoick, and Hiccup, and it's a bit rushed because of how busy I am…but the ending certainly won't bore you.

* * *

_Chapter One_

* * *

"If I just—adjust this strap—and if I—" The sounds of gears cranking. A wrench against a bolt, tightening and loosening. An odd elastic sound not unlike a rubber band being snapped.

Hiccup was making adjustments to his false leg. He had found out the hard way that walking around while he still had stitches was not an intelligent idea. The bloodstains now resting in the trough of the prosthetic were a testament to that. So while he waited for his stitches to come out, he worked on improving the fake limb so that it would be better for more than just…limping around. He would actually be able to walk in the woods without tripping over every stump, branch and rock that crossed his path. And working on the leg also helped pass the time and keep his mind off of things.

The burns on his hands were less noticeable now, and according to the doctors they wouldn't even scar. He considered it a blessing; the gods knew he didn't need more scarring than what he already had. The burns on his hands were very minor compared to the rest of the injuries he had received, though his stumpy leg was the worst of his wounds. Any of the gashes (all minor, for the most part) he had received were healing cleanly, or had been cauterized by the flames that caused his burns. His chest and stomach were a bit of a mess, the worst of the burns having come from the airbag as it exploded. Fortunately his face had been spared, since he had thrown his arms up to protect it. The chemicals had ruined the sleeves of his jacket but they hadn't soaked through. Unfortunately his coat had not been zipped up, leaving his chest and stomach open. It stung horribly if he stretched or was poked, though it had lessened to more of a dull ache in the passing week.

Of course, with all these new disfiguring features, Hiccup was convinced that he was ugliest thing next to a Gronkle. Good thing he wasn't terribly concerned for his appearance beneath his clothes (he was never going to be a swimsuit model anyway). He may be a teenage boy but the last thing on his mind was dating, especially after all the experiences he'd had with girls in the past few years. The teen snorted and glanced at his class picture, which consisted of only five people aside from himself. Berk was a small town that was mostly populated by young adults, usually young men that had come to work at the dragon reserve that was in the mountains. So while there was an abundance of young families starting to pop up, there were understandably fewer teenagers running around.

Berk was located by the North Atlantic and it wrapped around a cliff, dipping into a valley and then continuing into the mountainous region surrounding it. While the town seemed large on a map the amount of people was average for a village, a little less than a thousand people populating the region. The buildings located in the mountains were sparse and mainly belonged to forester companies that sought the strong wood that came from the trees of the area. There were very few mainstream shops in town, the exceptions being a McDonald's and Starbucks that sat next to each other on the main street, looking for all the world like a pair of outcasts amongst the older styled wooden buildings.

Berk was similar to a mining town in that all of its occupants were related to one profession. That profession was dragonology. Be it a dragon reserve security guard or a dragon caretaker, all of the inhabitants either worked at the reserve or were family of a reserve worker. Hiccup's own father happened to be the current head of security at the reserve. The dragons tended to listen to him better, since he was such a massive man. Stoick exuded power and authority, which dragons responded to better than threats of electric shocks.

Stoick had move to Berk as a young man from Scotland, and though he had actually lived his entire life out on the moors he was pure Scandinavian with roots in Berk that dated back to the time of the Vikings. Many of the people in Berk had been there for most of their lives and had old family names. As it was, Haddock was one of the old lines that had actually been the town's chieftains. Not that it really meant much now. Anyway, Stoick had moved to Berk and decided to apply for a job at the dragon reserve.

The dragon reserve was where he had first met the woman that would become his wife, Valhallarama. She was a slim woman, with huge green eyes and a generous smattering of freckles across her cheekbones. Hiccup took after her more than Stoick, though his hair had been red when he was a child. It was certain that Hiccup would never be as built or tall as his massive father, not that he minded that much. Sure, he hoped to have a growth spurt soon, but the bulk he could do without.

Hiccup glanced at the most recent picture of his family all together, the photo having been taken a few months prior. Hiccup was finally taller than his mother though he was perhaps twice as slender, mostly gawky limbs and angles. They all looked happy, even Stoick was wearing a ridiculous grin behind his massive red beard.

After a moment, Hiccup set the picture face down on his desk and curled his arms so that they would cradle his head, hiding his guilt-ridden expression.

* * *

The passing of time was almost irrelevant to Hiccup. It almost felt like the same day was repeating over and over again. All that changed was that his wounds were healing. The stitches eventually came out, leaving a cleanly healed scar that ran under his knee. The doctors said that it wasn't likely to give him much trouble, but to contact them if anything felt off. Hiccup had promised them that he would let them know and had hightailed it out of the clinic as quickly as possible. Berk didn't have an actual hospital and the nearest one was a few hours away, but they did have an excellent clinic that took care of most of their needs.

Dealing with dragons was risky business so the clinic was a necessity. Burns? No problem. Gashes? A cinch. Missing limbs? More difficult, but not impossible. The doctors were all specialists in one area or another, they had to be in order to take care of any patients that were unfortunate enough (or stupid enough) to enrage a dragon. Hiccup had spent less time in the clinic than he would have in a hospital, and that suited him just fine. There was a physical therapy center that was attached to the building that Hiccup frequented on his doctor's orders. The setup that they had was extremely efficient…it had to be in order to keep the workers in good form.

So Hiccup had healed up pretty quickly and got into decent shape. He had worked with his prosthetic both at home and at physical therapy, and while he was still awkward it was easier to get around. So with that in mind, he finally enacted his plans to sneak out of the house and get into the woods.

The Haddock household was located at the base of one of the mountains, separated from the rest of the town. It was their ancestral home, and though it had been restored multiple times in the past hundred years it still remained as one of the oldest buildings in Berk. Hiccup was used to the creaking of the ancient house. However, it did not aid him in his first few attempts to escape his overprotective father. He was caught each time and quickly put back in his room. After one such attempt, Hiccup was sulking on his bed and prodding at his prosthetic.

And then it hit him. His father had to go to work eventually, and Hiccup wasn't scheduled to return to school until the end of the month. There would be time to escape at some point…he just needed to bide him time.

* * *

The chance had finally arrived. Hiccup pulled on a fluffy, warm vest and tugged on a pair of hiking boots, struggling to fit one over the false foot and lacing it up tightly. He stood up straight and took a few experimental steps, getting used to the weight of the boot on his prosthetic. Okay, good to go. Just to be safe, Hiccup limped up to the front of the house and peered out the window to make sure that his father was really gone. Yup, the car was out of the driveway. All clear. With a fist pump of joy he skip-hopped to the back and happily slammed the door behind him. Ah, fresh air! Freedom! It smelled so sweet!

Well, not really, it smelled like the burnt grilled fish from last night. Hiccup rubbed his nose as he hurried towards the woods, one hand subconsciously coming to rest on his damaged leg. He was intensely focused on not tripping or falling over and wasn't entirely aware of how far he was going. Not that he was worried about getting lost, he had amazing navigational skills and would easily be able to find his way home...but anyway, Hiccup didn't come back to reality until he very nearly fell over a black box that was sitting in the middle of the woods for no apparant reason. Hiccup yelped as he tried to maintain his balance and managed to succeed in staying upright. What the heck was that doing there? He squinted at it, the gasped in realization.

A poacher trap? Around here? Hiccup scowled and leaned down to glare at the box. It was the sort that emitted an electrical field, trapping animals inside of it like the invisible fences made for pet dogs…only amplified by ten in order to keep dragons inside. Now, if this box was here, the force field would have to be nearby…the teen carefully looked around, not moving from his place. If he had stepped into the force field then he wouldn't be able to get out…and if a dragon was in there with him…he winced.

Tree, tree, bush, tree, dark shape, tree—wait, dark shape? Hiccup hobbled forward a little and squinted at the shape, which was a couple feet away from him. It wasn't moving at all, maybe it was just a tarp left behind by the poachers that set the trap…

The dark shape moved and suddenly Hiccup realized what it was. A dragon. It opened one huge green eye, then the other. Two bright orbs stared at the human unblinkingly.

"Oh, gods above…a Night Fury…" Hiccup murmured, completely awed by the dark beast before him. Unfortunately for him, the dragon was not quite so enamored. Snarling, the Night Fury launched itself at Hiccup…only to fall short when an awful electric shock ran through its body. The dragon gave a pained yowl and collapsed, claws digging into the earth as it rode the pain out. Hiccup was instantly moving towards the Fury's side, but stopped when he was growled at.

"Hey, calm down, I just want to help…" This didn't appear to soothe the dragon, since it was still growling lowly, but it did back off a bit. Hiccup moved slowly and carefully, so that he wouldn't startle the magnificent creature. "I'm just going to turn off the trap, and then you'll be free…okay?" He received a snort in reply. The dragon understood him just fine.

Carefully, Hiccup pried open the mechanical box. Inside was a multitude of wires, tangled around each other in a horrific mess that would have had the most experienced of electricians crying. Hiccup, however, bypassed the disaster of wires for a small switch at the bottom of the box. There was a small popping noise, and then it felt as though he was touching a static ball. The hairs on his arms stood on end for a moment, the electric current passing through him as it was released from the force field. Hiccup grinned proudly and stood up, glad that he'd been able to disable the trap—

And the next thing the poor boy knew, he was trapped under a snarling dragon. "Oh gods, oh gods, I'm sorry, I was trying to help, please don't eat me, please don't eat me, _please don't—" The_ dragon roared in his face and Hiccup immediately shut up, staring into a pair of huge yellow-green eyes. Boy and dragon stared at each other for a long moment, before the Night Fury gave a final screech that made Hiccup's ears ring and leapt off of him, taking off rather clumsily into the woods.

Hiccup stared after the dragon, green eyes wide with shock. Had he just been spared? He sat up and looked himself over. Yup, he'd been spared. Hiccup slowly got to his feet and took a few steps forward before his good leg gave out. With a low moan he fell to the ground, having collapsed in a dead faint.

_-End chapter-_

Before you freak out about Hiccup's disinterest in dating—no, I'm not making him interested in men. While I myself am not of the heterosexual persuasion, I don't believe in making all the characters I write homosexual (even if it seems that way). During this story Hiccup will not have any romantic interests, aside from the typical thoughts any straight teenage male would have when confronted with a gorgeous girl. He's just not interested in a relationship at this point. (I imagine him falling for an intelligent woman who is just as interested in dragons as he is—and not Astrid. Sorry, but I'm not a fan of that pairing. She would make a good friend for him though.)


	3. Apology

My apologies for not updating. A lot has happened and honestly I don't know when I'll be posting again. A good friend of mine died recently and unexpectedly, and school is coming to an end while I scramble to keep things together. I hope to update over the summer. Thank you all for your patience.

Sincerely,

Fool


End file.
